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C0506JPET2N-commonwealth-events

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Slack Channel: commonwealth / Events (C0506JPET2N)

Ingested: 2026-04-22 | Source: Slack workspace economicscience.slack.com Primary contributors: Ken Yang (UNYCKRMC6), Liam Wilkinson (UKD25NV0A), Floyd Marinescu (UKQ1MQDMW), Philippe Chabot (UKTJP503G)

Channel Overview

This channel tracks Common Wealth Canada events, meetups, video productions, speaker outreach, and BIEN Congress organizing. Heavily used by Ken for event logistics and video production updates. Covers LVT advocacy events, interview productions, and campaign promotion.

BIEN 2026 Congress — Toronto

Summary

  • BIEN Congress coming to Toronto, August 20–23, 2026 (official Congress starts Aug 20; “Canada Day” pre-event on Aug 19)
  • Website: https://bien2026.net
  • UBI Works / SES is a key organizing partner
  • 55 presentation slots; as of mid-March 2026, only ~10 proposals received (1 Canadian)

Canada Day (Wed Aug 19, 2026)

  • Daytime pre-event, separate from main Congress
  • Venue TBD (not TMU); ticket price ~$25, separate registration
  • Evening meetup planned at Electric Mind (Ken pitching to Chris Ford)
  • Sheila wants to invite: food community, doctors, faith groups, media (CBC/Star), City of TO, United Way, Toronto Community Foundation — broad-tent GTHA

UBI Works Role

  • Drive registration (email, social), speaker spotlights, live broadcast
  • Local meetup “Canada Day” evening
  • Create 2026 Congress comms/marketing plan (coordinating document for all allies)
  • Moonshot: invite high-profile influencers to attend or send statements

Moonshot Influencer List

Proposed Talks

  • Ken: 1) Job Automation / Post-Labor Economy; 2) Movement Building (convincing skeptics / GBI vs UBI)
  • Floyd/Liam: LVT talk (if CANCEA modelling ready in time)
  • Conrad Shaw + Scott Santens: Film proposal; Conrad considering renting HotDocs
  • Call for proposals deadline was Apr 15; 55 slots total

Key People (BIEN)

  • Sheila Regehr — BICN, top priority: getting quality Canadian proposals
  • Ben — BIEN Congress organizer (Toronto)
  • Jim Mulvale — One of the only Canadian proposals received early
  • Conrad Shaw & Scott Santens — Film about basic income proposed for screening

Common Wealth Meetups

Toronto LVT Meetup (April 8–9, 2026)

  • Speaker: Eric Lombardi (Strong Towns / More Neighbours / LVT advocate)
  • Host venue: Electric Mind (Chris Ford, former CAPCO CEO / Intelliware)
    • Electric Mind received $100M investment from Motive Partners (AI-led fintech)
    • Chris Ford responded “yes” to hosting in 0 minutes when Ken asked
  • Attendance: ~80 RSVPs, expected 50–75% turnout → “Great turnout”
  • Ken’s intro: 10-min intro on Land — “one of my better intros” (thanks to Liam for honing)
  • Video recap: Full meetup video: https://youtu.be/bivIpmONuuU
  • Speaker clips on Common Wealth YouTube:
  • Philippe: “incredible event, talk & production quality”
  • GenSqueeze promoted the meetup on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky
  • Joe Polito (PPI board member) was there; video from Joe included

Post-Meetup Networking (April 9, 2026)

  • Ken had dinner with Ramsey Kilani (stepped down from PPI board; replaced by Saeid Hashemi)
  • Ramsey’s group: TO New Liberals — active WhatsApp group
  • Resident Georgists in TO YIMBY group: Joe Polito and Ramsey Kilani, plus Erich Jacoby-Hawkins (Barrie)
  • Ken is considering starting a WhatsApp activist group for CW/Georgists in Toronto
  • Ken: “might’ve been the biggest convention of Georgists in GTA in modern history”

Toronto LVT Meetup — Next Events (Ken)

  • TO New Liberals x More Neighbours TO x Common Wealth events in works, date TBD (April 2026)
  • Ken was requested to give a 30-min presentation on Land to TO New Liberals
  • Ottawa event with Eric Lombardi: potential week of June 22, 2026
    • Eric’s manager Melody connecting Ken with Shane Parrish (Build Canada SWF memo, lives in Ottawa)
  • Frank Peddle (Henry George Foundation Canada) suggestions for next meetups:
    • Toronto: Feb/March 2026 (done ✓)
    • Calgary or Edmonton: next up
    • Ottawa: Fall 2026 — to coincide with National Summit of community land trusts (Sept/Oct)
    • Making inroads with Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts

Ottawa Monopoly-Themed LVT Event (Wed Jun 24, 2026)

  • Event: Ottawa Housing & Community Land Trust Meetup
  • Date: Wed Jun 24, 2026, 6:30 PM
  • Venue: 123 Slater Street, 6th floor, Ottawa, ON K1P 5H2
  • Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ottawa-housing-community-land-trust-meetup-tickets-1992070691062
  • Concept: Monopoly-themed LVT presentation — Ken and Liam brainstormed centring LVT events on a Monopoly theme (originated May 19, 2026)
  • Presentation: “Ottawa Monopoly Presentation (2026)” Google Slides — https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Z0zSivekzuFLgQov3FhnA-bjggTykayTQ4vMko7QZVk/
  • Preview: Ken shared conceptual preview images Jun 22 — described as “seed of something we record for our total audience later”
  • Strategy: The Monopoly theme will be recorded later for broader audience content; this Ottawa live event is the first iteration
  • Context: Connects to earlier planning for Ottawa event with Eric Lombardi (week of June 22, 2026); Frank Peddle suggested Ottawa to coincide with National Summit of community land trusts

Vancouver Meetup Planning

BC Trip Summary (Nov 2025)

Video Productions / Common Wealth Channel

Geoffrey Hinton Interview (Aug 19, 2025)

  • Ken interviewed Dr. Geoffrey Hinton (“Godfather of AI”) on AI risk, future of work, and UBI
  • Scheduled Tuesday Aug 19, 2PM ET; Liam was backend producer
  • Hinton responded to outreach and agreed within hours
  • YouTube: https://youtu.be/75edaaI1-gY
  • Ken’s X thread: https://x.com/kenjaminyang/status/1958246053951713635
  • Subscriber suggested using Hinton interview in MP lobbying campaign — this sparked the AI + UBI campaign idea
  • Philippe: “Very interesting lobby faith group like Hinton said in your interview even the Vatican has invited him to speak about AI and job displacement”

Alaska Permanent Fund Interview (Aug 2025)

  • Common Wealth Canada’s Liam Wilkinson interviewed:
    • Dr. Jack Hickel (Alaska Permanent Fund Defenders, son of Governor Walter Hickel)
    • Rick Halford (Former Alaska State Senate President)
  • Topic: Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend as UBI model; under attack from those who want to raid it
  • YouTube: https://youtu.be/hoGMwNuDTN4
  • Promoted via X, Bluesky, Facebook — coincided with email to full list (Aug 29, 2025)

UBI in a Post-Labour Economy Panel (Oct 2025)

  • Ken hosted David Shapiro (184K YouTube subs) and Dalibor Petrovic (HBR Advisory Council)
  • Oct 17, 2025, 1PM ET; unlisted until supporting materials ready
  • YouTube: https://youtu.be/jX21Y9JcLsI
  • David Shapiro channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DaveShap — “Liberate humanity from drudgery”
  • Topic suggested by David: “Is UBI communism?” — he’s for market-oriented capital formation / SWF

Yanis Varoufakis Interview (Feb 12, 2025)

  • Common Wealth Canada interview: Wed Feb 12, 2025, 10:30AM PT / 1:30PM ET (8:30PM Athens)
  • Topics: universal dividends, modern feudalism — themes from Yanis’ advocacy
  • Common Wealth podcast page: https://www.commonwealth.ca/podcast
  • Yanis email went out to list; Liam scripted questions narrative arc
  • Related to LPC Liberal Leadership campaign timing

2025 Town Hall (Dec 16, 2025)

  • UBI Works x Common Wealth Canada joint town hall
  • 555 registered; peaked at ~334 live viewers (60% of capacity, expected range)
  • YouTube: https://youtu.be/R0s8hsRPwwk
  • Zoom webinar holds 300 without upgrade

Key People

Eric Lombardi

  • Strong Towns / More Neighbours TO / LVT vocal proponent
  • “We saw his evolution from cautious supporter to vocal proponent of LVT”
  • Agreed to speak in Toronto in 0 seconds; agreed to Ottawa event week of June 22
  • Manager: Melody (connecting Ken with Shane Parrish)

Chris Ford

  • Former CAPCO CEO; now at Electric Mind (formerly Intelliware, rebranded/pivoted to AI fintech)
  • Electric Mind: $100M Motive Partners investment
  • Hosts Common Wealth meetups in Toronto

Dr. Francis Peddle

  • President, Henry George Foundation of Canada
  • Longest-running Georgist in the room; “seeing his incredibly long years of work bearing fruit”
  • Key organizer for meetup scheduling, Ottawa suggestions

Joe Polito

  • PPI board member (Toronto); present at April 2026 Toronto meetup

Ramsey Kilani

  • Stepped down from PPI board (replaced by Saeid Hashemi)
  • TO New Liberals group leader; active WhatsApp group
  • Dinner with Ken after April 2026 meetup

Saeid Hashemi

  • Replaced Ramsey Kilani on PPI board
  • Resident Georgist in TO YIMBY group

Shane Parrish

  • Author of Build Canada SWF memo; lives in Ottawa
  • Left Floyd on read previously; Melody (Eric Lombardi’s manager) is brokering intro to Ken

Martin Adams

  • Vancouver-based entrepreneur, author of LAND: A New Paradigm for a Thriving World
  • Indigo book signing event in Vancouver, April 27, 2025
  • Ken drafted personal invitations to Vancouver contacts

David Shapiro

  • YouTube: 184K subscribers; Post-Labor Economics creator
  • Wears Star Trek uniform in videos; believes in technological abundance
  • Pro market-oriented capital formation / SWF

Dalibor Petrovic

  • HBR Advisory Council member; co-panelist on post-labor economy episode

Community Platforms

New Platforms Noted

  • Digg (Reddit competitor): team member U09GHK05HT8 claimed https://digg.com/georgism community
    • U09GHJWK47Q passed on moderation role; others interested

Social Platforms Used

  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CommonWealthca
  • X: @commonwealth_ca
  • Bluesky: @ubiworks.bsky.social, @commonwealth.ca (various)
  • Facebook: /commonwealthcan
  • Mastodon: cross-posting bridged via Ken’s setup
  • Instagram

Newmode Petitions on UBIWorks.ca (natively hosted as of Jan 2025)

Note: Channel has more history (hasMore: true). Oldest messages in this batch go back to late 2024 / LPC leadership campaign. The channel appears to cover both Common Wealth meetups and broader campaign coordination.

2026-06-17 Update — New Event Posted

2026-06-17 — Ottawa Housing & Community Land Trust Meetup

Ken posted an Eventbrite link for the Ottawa Housing & Community Land Trust Meetup:

  • Date: Wed, Jun 24, 2026 at 6:30 PM
  • Location: 123 Slater Street, 6th floor, Ottawa, ON K1P 5H2
  • Link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ottawa-housing-community-land-trust-meetup-tickets-1992070691062
  • Context: Part of Commonwealth’s ongoing event series exploring housing affordability, community land trusts, and land value reform. This follows the earlier brainstorming about centering LVT events around a Monopoly theme (May 19), and the exploration of abstracting from “LVT meetup” to broader “Land Meetup” concept.

2026-06-22 — Monopoly Presentation Preview for Ottawa Event

Ken posted a conceptual preview of their Monopoly-themed presentation for the Ottawa Housing & Community Land Trust Meetup this Wednesday (Jun 24):

  • Shared a Google Slides link: “Ottawa Monopoly Presentation (2026)” — https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Z0zSivekzuFLgQov3FhnA-bjggTykayTQ4vMko7QZVk/edit
  • Shared 5 preview images of the slides
  • Ken’s note: “it will be the seed of something we record for our total audience later”
  • This is the culmination of the Monopoly theme concept brainstormed with Liam on May 19
  • The Ottawa meetup (Jun 24, 6:30 PM, 123 Slater Street) will be the first live presentation of this material
  • Plan to record it for broader audience distribution afterward

Update: 2026-06-23 Heartbeat Sync

Ottawa Monopoly Presentation (Jun 22, 2026)

  • Ken shared a conceptual preview of a Monopoly-themed presentation for the Ottawa event
  • Google Slides: “Ottawa Monopoly Presentation (2026)” — link
  • Ken noted: “it will be the seed of something we record for our total audience later”
  • Concept originated from Ken + Liam brainstorming (May 19): centring LVT events on a Monopoly theme
  • Philippe reacted with 😻

Ottawa Housing & Community Land Trust Meetup (Wed Jun 24, 2026)

  • Eventbrite: Ottawa Housing & Community Land Trust Meetup
  • Date: Wed, Jun 24, 2026 at 6:30 PM
  • Location: 123 Slater Street, 6th floor, Ottawa, ON K1P 5H2
  • Part of the evolution from “LVT meetup” → “Land Meetup” concept Ken has been developing
  • Ken previously shared Impact Hub Ottawa as a venue option (suggested by Frank)

Update: 2026-06-22–23 — Ottawa Monopoly Presentation Preview

Posted by: Ken Yang (UNYCKRMC6) Date: June 22, 2026

Key Updates

  • Ken shared a conceptual preview of the Ottawa Monopoly-themed presentation for the upcoming Wednesday June 24 Ottawa Housing & Community Land Trust Meetup
  • The Monopoly theme was originally brainstormed by Ken and Liam as a creative framing for LVT/land events
  • The presentation is built in Google Slides: Ottawa Monopoly Presentation (2026)
  • Ken noted: “it will be the seed of something we record for our total audience later” — indicating this Ottawa event is a pilot for a broader video asset

Event Details

Strategic Significance

  • The Monopoly theme represents a shift from abstract “LVT meetup” branding to a more relatable, gamified event format
  • Ken had previously considered abstracting from “LVT meetup” to broader “Land Meetup” covering Housing, CLT, and LVR
  • The Ottawa event serves as a prototype for future recordings aimed at Common Wealth’s full audience

Ottawa Meetup — June 26, 2026

Ottawa Housing & Community Land Trust Meetup

Ottawa Monopoly Presentation (Jun 22, 2026)

  • Ken shared a conceptual preview of a Monopoly-themed presentation for the Ottawa meetup
  • Google Slides: “Ottawa Monopoly Presentation (2026)”
  • Ken noted: “it will be the seed of something we record for our total audience later”
  • This appears to be a new presentation format — Monopoly-themed LVT/land economics content
  • Philippe reacted with 😻

Notable Context

  • The Ottawa meetup was part of a series of Common Wealth community events
  • The Monopoly presentation concept may evolve into recorded content for broader audiences

Ottawa Housing & Community Land Trust Meetup (Jun 24, 2026)

Event

Monopoly-Themed Presentation

  • Ken developed a Monopoly-themed presentation for this meetup, using the game as a framing device for LVT/land reform advocacy
  • Google Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Z0zSivekzuFLgQov3FhnA-bjggTykayTQ4vMko7QZVk/edit
  • Ken noted: “conceptual preview of our Monopoly Themed presentation in Ottawa this Wed — it will be the seed of something we record for our total audience later”
  • This signals intent to record a polished version for CW’s broader online audience

Meetup Recap (Jun 26)

  • Ken posted ~9 photos from the Ottawa meetup to commonwealth on Jun 26
  • The meetup appears to have been successful — photos show a packed room and engaged attendees
  • This is part of CW’s ongoing community land trust + LVT advocacy series

Significance

  • The Monopoly framing is a strong communicative innovation — makes LVT intuitive to general audiences
  • Ottawa meetup extends CW’s geographic reach beyond Toronto
  • Presentation recording plan suggests this format may become a staple content type

Ottawa Housing & Land Meetup — June 24, 2026

Posted by Ken Yang on Slack 2026-06-30 | Blog: https://www.commonwealth.ca/blog/ottawa-meetup-2026

Event Summary

Common Wealth Canada held a Housing and Land Value Tax meetup in Ottawa on June 24, 2026, in partnership with:

  • Henry George Foundation of Canada (Dr. Francis K. Peddle, President) — promotes Henry George’s ideas including land value taxation and public capture of economic rent
  • Ottawa Community Land Trust (Mike Bulthuis, Executive Director) — preserves and increases affordable housing in Ottawa region
  • Make Housing Affordable (Brandon Bay, former Chair) — pro-housing advocacy group in Ottawa, “Six Big Moves” platform

Key Highlights

  • Liam Wilkinson and Ken Yang debuted a Monopoly-themed interactive presentation (referencing Lizzie Magie’s Landlord’s Game) as a new educational tool
  • The presentation makes the case for returning publicly-created land value back to the community to level the playing field and improve the housing system
  • This was the event previewed on Slack on June 22 (Monopoly presentation mockup shared)
  • Event was listed on Eventbrite: “OTTAWA HOUSING & COMMUNITY LAND TRUST MEETUP” at 123 Slater Street, June 24 at 6:30 PM

New Connections

  • Dr. Francis K. Peddle — President, Henry George Foundation of Canada (earthsharing.ca)
  • Mike Bulthuis — Executive Director, Ottawa Community Land Trust (oclt.ca)
  • Brandon Bay — former Chair, Make Housing Affordable (makehousingaffordable.ca)

Significance

This represents CW’s first in-person Monopoly-themed event, a format Ken and Liam brainstormed on May 19 as a new educational approach for LVT advocacy events. The blog post is now live on commonwealth.ca.

Ottawa Housing & Land Meetup — June 24, 2026

Event Details

Organizing Partners

  1. Common Wealth Canada — land value return, sovereign wealth funds, capturing economic rents from land/resources/tech/finance
  2. Henry George Foundation of Canada (earthsharing.ca) — promotes Henry George’s ideas, land value taxation, public capture of economic rent
  3. Ottawa Community Land Trust (oclt.ca) — non-profit preserving affordable housing in Ottawa region, acquires rental properties, secures land for future housing
  4. Make Housing Affordable (makehousingaffordable.ca) — pro-housing advocacy in Ottawa, “Six Big Moves” platform: more homes, fight sprawl, push policymakers

Format

  • Monopoly-themed interactive presentation debuted by Liam Wilkinson and Ken Yang
  • Concept: centring LVT events on a Monopoly theme to make land value tax accessible and engaging
  • Presentation built in Google Slides; intended as seed for recorded content for wider audience
  • Photos posted June 26 (9 photos from the event)

Key Context

  • This is the first meetup using the Monopoly theme concept (brainstormed May 19, 2026)
  • Ken had been contemplating abstracting from “LVT meetup” to broader “Land Meetup” framing
  • Event evolved from initial concept through mockup → presentation → live event → blog post
  • Colin Bruce Anthes (Community Wealth Candidates founder), “In Canada’s housing policy circles, the land crisis remains unmentionable” — Canadian Dimension article, referenced in blog post
  • Key thesis: “We cannot solve the housing crisis without dealing directly with the land question.”

Timeline

  • May 13: Ken posted mockup, contemplating “Land Meetup” framing
  • May 19: Monopoly theme concept brainstormed by Liam and Ken
  • June 17: Eventbrite published
  • June 22: Monopoly presentation preview shared in Slack
  • June 24: Event held in Ottawa
  • June 26: Event photos posted
  • June 30: Blog post published on commonwealth.ca

Toronto UBI Meetup — Upcoming

Summary

  • Ken posted Toronto UBI Meetup promotional graphics on July 2, 2026 (“incoming”)
  • Graphics shared: 1x1 square and 16x9 widescreen PNG formats
  • Appears to be the next Commonwealth/UBI Works community event
  • More details expected soon

Timeline

  • July 2: Ken shared Toronto UBI Meetup promo graphics (1x1 + 16x9)

Graph View